NFL: Breaking down the 2015 New England Patriots
By Andrew Garda
A brief time off, we’re back and breaking down all 32 NFL teams. Today we take a close look at the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots.
Last season was a bit of a roller-coaster for the Patriots, as they struggled at times early but righted the ship and went on a very good run, which took them to the Super Bowl and a win over the Seattle Seahawks. You can say what you want about ‘Ballghazi’ and questionable decisions in the waning moments of the Super Bowl, but ultimately this was a team which found a way to pull things back from the brink and come away with a title.
The Patriots are a pretty different team this year, at least in many ways. Sure, they have Tom Brady at quarterback but they have lost talent in the backfield as well as key players in the secondary. Meanwhile the AFC East is improving and if their fellow divisional denizens aren’t quite ready to make a run at the crown, it’s coming soon.
They’ll also have to contend with some other contenders in the conference at large, most notably an improved Indianapolis Colts team.
It’s never easy to repeat a title (just ask the Seahawks), and it’s a struggle to even repeat a Super Bowl appearance (the Denver Broncos are your example there). The Patriots are always a team other franchises are gunning for, so in many respects this year isn’t any different. We know that head coach Bill Belichick will have his team ready – there won’t be any Super Bowl hangover. This is a team which comes to work each year and if the window on title hopes (and perhaps Brady’s career) is slowly closing, that makes them no less dangerous an opponent in the short term.
**All players and depth chart rankings come from Ourlads.com and are current as of 6/14/15
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